Dear Reader,
University life has a pretty tight reputation of being synonymous with lots of drinking and sticky dancefloors, thanks to all the on-screen portrayals of student-hood but that’s not all there is to the university experience. If it’s peer pressure that’s making you withdraw from friends, as soppy as it may sound, I would advise to have a chat with them to lay down the law a little. You needn’t explain why if you don’t want to just a short snappy point about how you’re no longer drinking and won’t stick around if pressure continues should work just fine if they are decent friends. If unfortunately, you’re stuck with some rotten pals, then it might be time to close the door on them, anyone who isn’t willing to respect your decisions isn’t worth having around anyways. If it’s more a case of feeling out of place with your friends whilst they’re drinking, I would say to take initiative making plans. After a day of lectures, most students are lazy and indecisive, I’d bet that your friends would be pleased that you had already drafted out a few hours to spend together. For some alcohol free ideas you could keep an eye out for societies hosting sober socials, they’re a great way to mingle without worrying if the mood will turn to drinking and you could meet people leading a similar lifestyle. Otherwise, activities like the cinema are a safe bet all year round. I also think a themed night could be a good choice to avoid a typical meeting in someone’s flat turning into a drinking marathon. Plan an activity so that the night can stay on track, some fun ideas are; a night trailing new recipe, a crafts night, board game night and my favourite- a ‘just dance’ marathon.